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DIY Double-Tiered Hanging Word Shelf

Back when I posted this Gold Textured Makeup Bag, I
promised you a lot of DIY’s, courtesy of our yearly crafting frenzy just before
Christmas. So now, with the start of the semester and, more importantly,
Valentine’s Day off the calendar, I am back to giving you the how-to on some of
those super cute and fun projects! Also, this is definitely one of my favorite DIY's to date!

This DIY was made for my coffee-loving baby sister (who
is actually in high school) so she can store her many coffee mugs, which were
previously taking up a significant portion of our kitchen cabinets! I wanted
hooks to hang some of her favorites on, and a shelf on top where she could
store additional mugs or even candles—another obsession of hers! I also made
the top shelf wider so that breakable things could be stored on it safely, and
so that more mugs could be hung in front of the letters! Using the wider shelf
only at the top also prevents it from jutting out from the wall at a level
where I am more likely to run into it. See, there is a method to my madness!

This DIY does use a few power tools, so let’s give a big
hand to my daddy and his guidance putting it together! That said, while a buddy
would be helpful, it’s not too incredibly complicated and is a pretty inexpensive
project considering what you get, especially if you have scrap wood available
that will do the job!

Cut your pieces to the dimensions above, sand down the
edges, and wipe with a damp cloth to remove dust and prep for painting. These
dimensions are specifically for the letters I used, but to get them I simply
laid the paper mâché letters side by side, measured the total length and added 4”.
The height was eyeballed and again measured. Additionally, you may be able to
get your wood planks cut at the hardware store where you purchase them, meaning
fewer power tools! My 2x8 was cut this way, while the other pieces were cut
from scraps already in our garage.

Step 2

Spray paint your wood pieces black and the letters a
contrasting shade. When deciding how much paint to buy, don’t forget that
unprimed wood uses a LOT of paint! Be attentive to recoat times while painting
and let dry fully.

Step 3

Line up your 2x4 with one edge of the plywood, placing
the plywood on top with painted side down. You can use an extra piece of wood
to level everything, as shown above. Clamp the plywood to the painted 2x4, as
also shown.

Step 4

Using a drill bit slightly narrower than your screws,
drill 4 evenly spaced, shallow pilot holes in the back of the plywood along the
edge. You will be attaching the shelf planks with screws through the back plywood
board and into the 2x4 shelf. Use the shorter 2 1/2" screws and a drill
with Phillip’s head attachment to accomplish this.

Step 5

Repeat the above step with the 2x8 piece and the 3 1/2”
screws. The 2x8 will function as the top of the cabinet.

Step 6

Flip the cabinet over and attach the letters to the
plywood backing as you desire with industrial strength glue. I spaced the
letters, then began attaching at the outside and working inward. I also had
them lined up against the 2x4 so that when mugs were hung from the upper shelf,
the letters were still easy to read.

Step 7

Rotate the cabinet so that it stands up with the 2x8
board acting as a base, so that the shelf is flipped upside down. On the
underside of the top (2x8) shelf, measure one inch inward from the front edge so
that the hooks will line up when the shelf is viewed from the side. Mark the
locations of the cup hooks using the measurements show above. The hooks are essentially
evenly spaced with the outer hooks closer to the ends of the shelf. (I just
makes things more complicated than necessary!)

Step 8

At each marking you just made, hammer a small nail
1/4" into the plywood and then remove it. This will act as a pilot hole
and make the cup hooks easier to screw in. And then go ahead and screw in those
cup hooks, ending with the open ends of the hook facing toward the plywood
backing. As the hook gets tighter, you may need to use the pliers to screw it
in.

Step 9

Use the pliers to bend the cup hooks open a little more.
You simply clamp them near the edge of the hook as shown and rotate outwards.
This will allow mugs to hang more safely from the underside of each shelf.

Step 10

Leave the cabinet oriented as it is, and repeat steps 7-9
on the underside of the 2x4.

Step 11

Hang the cabinet up! Make sure you purchase hangers that
will support the weight of your masterpiece, but beyond that, I can’t offer any
more help than the package instructions!

Because the hangers push the cabinet away from the wall a
little, you can always add spacers at the bottom of the cabinet so that it lies
flat against the wall. This can be anything from foam dots to small pieces of
wood, depending on what you have on hand.

Step 12

Hang all the pretty mugs, and stack nonsense on top!

My main goals for this cabinet were to keep the shelf
sturdy and durable, as well as adorable! Hopefully this means that my Diana can
use it for a long time! For that reason, I also made this project in a sophisticated
and versatile color scheme!

Now it’s just up to you to take this DIY and mix it up
for yourself. Different colors, various words, and different purposes are
totally possible here! For example, downsizing the apparatus or making the
shelving double decker, with three different widths of boards would totally
spice things up! I already have so many ideas of ways to adapt this project in
the future and I’d love to hear yours too!

Have you done any big projects with power tools lately?
Scary but rewarding stuff, am I right?